


A Little Ball of Fluff

by Deannachu



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, Very fluffy, very cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2195808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannachu/pseuds/Deannachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin finds a kitten while walking home one night, and Michael tells him that he can't keep her. The next morning Michael falls ill and Gavin leaves the kitten with him, hoping that she might be able to change his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Ball of Fluff

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of a "Picture your OTP doing this" post from Tumblr. I'm so sorry I haven't been updating any of my multi-chapter fics, I start my 2nd job tomorrow and along with school and my other job it's hard for me to find the motivation but I promise I haven't forgotten them! Anyways, I hope you like this!

"No."

"But Michael..."

"No."

Gavin huffed, pulling the little ball of fur he held in his hands back to his chest, the small kitten meowing at him and purring its head off. Gavin had to stay later at work than Michael, and since it was a nice Spring night in Austin, opted for walking back to their apartment instead of riding with anyone. It wasn't too far away from the office, and Gavin almost never had time to himself anymore; it wasn't necessarily a bad thing but everyone could use alone time every now and then, even if it was just a ten minute walk at night in the refreshing Spring breeze. 

He had his phone pulled out, scrolling through his Twitter feed while keeping his senses on high alert because let's face it, walking home alone at night anywhere in the world was dangerous as shit. He answered texts from Michael as they came, which was frequently because the auburn-headed man didn't like the idea of him walking by himself at night, especially because he knew Gavin wasn't a fighter and being scrawny might let shady characters get the idea that he was a target, easy to mug and easy to beat up. 

Gavin told Michael to stop watching so many crime shows and to stop worrying. 

He was about a block away from the apartment, feeling his legs begin to ache slightly with the walk because he was wearing his usual beat up Converse and not proper shoes for walking a long distance, when he heard it.

It was a sudden noise, gone almost as quickly as it had come, but Gavin heard it. "Meow!" He stopped in his tracks and looked around quickly, shining his phone's flashlight at dark corners and into shadows that he couldn't see that well into. He walked a few steps, searching in nearby bushes, when he found it. It was a kitten, no bigger than his two hands cupped together, mostly grey with some black and orange spots and perky ears, staring up at Gavin with a wide-eyed look that he found, well, that he found absolutely fucking adorable. 

"Hello, love," he cooed softly as to not frighten the poor thing. The kitten ducked its head, walking backward from his outstretched hand, but gave the tips of his fingers a tentative sniff. "I'm not going to hurt you. What's a cute little thing like yourself doing out here alone? Did you get lost from your mum?" He stretched his hand further and brushed the top of the kitten's soft head, giving it a gentle scratch. It seemed to like the feeling because all of its previous shyness went away as it trotted out from its spot and bumped its head against Gavin's legs, purring loudly. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

He picked up the little kitten, coming to the conclusion that it was a female, and held her close to his chest, turning on his heel and finishing the walk to their apartment. He checked his phone and noticed five text messages from Michael that he hadn't answered. He knew Michael would be upset that he didn't respond, jumping to the worst conclusion about why, but he thought surprising him with the fluff ball in his hands would make everything better.

How wrong he was.

When he got to the apartment he shifted the kitten over a little to grab his keys. He barely had time to put it in the lock before the door flung open, revealing a very pissed off Michael on the other side. He opened his mouth, no doubt to yell at Gavin and call him a string of names that he had heard several times before, but paused when he saw the kitten in his hands.

"This is why you didn't text me back? You found a kitten in a bush?" he yelled, walking back inside and allowing Gavin to enter. "You had me worried that something happened to you, you fucking idiot!"

"But nothing  _did_ happen, Michael," he told his boyfriend calmly. He looked over at the TV where Michael not so subtlely changed the channel from a crime show to some cartoon. "What did I tell you about watching those shows? You know how paranoid you can get. Besides, I couldn't leave this little cutie on the side of the road in a bush! She needs a home!" He nuzzled the kitten to his face, giggling as she licked his nose. 

"Then we'll take her to a shelter before we go to work tomorrow," Michael promptly said before running a hand over his hair. "I'm still pissed at you. You could have died and it would have been over a stupid cat." Gavin gasped and covered the kitten's tiny ears.

"Don't call her stupid! Cats have feelings too you know," he stage whispered, a horrified look on his face. He saw the corner of Michael's mouth twitch, like he was holding back a smile. 

"Well we can't keep her!" Michael said firmly. "We can barely take care of ourselves, let alone an animal."

"I'll take care of her; you won't have to do anything. I'll be in charge of feeding her and playing with her and-"

"Sorry, Gav. The kitten's gotta go. First thing in the morning." The man walked over and planted a chaste kiss on Gavin's lips, pet the kitten between the ears, and then walked in the direction of their bedroom. "I don't mean to be a grump; I just haven't felt that great today. I'm going to head in early. Goodnight, Gav." He shut the door behind him, leaving Gavin and the kitten with each other's company. 

"I'm going to call you Tabby," Gavin said lovingly to the kitten, touching his nose to hers. "I'll talk to Michael again in the morning and talk him into letting me keep you. You're too cute to be in a shelter." The kitten mewed and licked his nose again. "You're probably hungry or thirsty; let's see what we have that I can feed you." After rummaging around in the cabinets Gavin found an unopened can of tuna and set it on a plate, placing Tabby next to it. She began eating quickly, the tuna gone almost as quickly as he had emptied it. He smiled at the sight, pouring milk into a small dish for her to lick up. 

He pet her gently as she ate, smiling contentedly at the vibrations coming from her body. When she was finished Gavin cleaned up the dishes, joy evident on his face when Tabby weaved in and out of his legs, finally settling for laying down directly on top of his foot and licking her lips, occasionally grooming herself while he washed. When he was done, he picked her up and carried her to the couch, where he grabbed a blanket and laid down, placing her underneath and covering her with the blanket, allowing room for her head to stick out. He watched TV for a while, eventually falling asleep to the quiet sounds from the TV and the lulling sounds of Tabby purring happily against him.

His last thought before sleep took him was that he really hoped she didn't use the bathroom anywhere in the apartment while they slept because Michael would  _not_ be happy.

* * *

 

Gavin felt something tickling his nose and absentmindedly brushed it away, his hand coming into contact with something furry and soft. He opened his eyes abruptly and noticed Tabby laying on his chest, purring. Some time during the night he had rolled over and slept on his back and she must have crawled on top and made her place there. He smiled sleepily at the kitten and gave her a long pet before picking up his phone, which he had forgotten to place on the charger overnight so it was low on battery. The clock said it was a little after 7:30 and Gavin furrowed his eyebrows, noticing the apartment was unusually quiet, save for the TV he had left on all night.

Usually Michael was up already and in the shower or cooking breakfast, but not this morning. Gavin wondered if maybe Michael had just forgotten to set an alarm due to him not feeling well last night; he pulled off the blanket and curled Tabby to his chest, walking to their bedroom. He yawned before opening the door gently, revealing Michael laying on his side facing the door, his face drenched with sweat even though he was curled underneath all of his blankets.

"Gav? I feel like shit," Michael laughed weakly, his teeth chattering as though he were cold. Gavin rushed to his side and felt his forehead with the back of his hand. He snatched it away quickly, feeling as though his hand had been burned. 

"You're burning up," he announced with concern. He set Tabby down next to Michael and she promptly curled up against him and began purring, nudging his hand with the top of her head as though she knew he wasn't feeling well. He left and returned with a thermometer, turning it on and then opening Michael's mouth and sticking it underneath his tongue. He waited a minute or so before it started beeping and then he took it out, looking at the number on the screen.

103.2

"Jesus, Michael, you've got a 103 degree fever; maybe we should take you to a hospital," he said worriedly. Michael's eyes widened and he coughed violently, scaring Tabby a little. 

"No, no, please," he begged. "No hospitals. Just... just go get me some medicine and stuff and let me stay home today. I'm sure I'll feel better by tonight."

"But-"

"Gav, please. This has happened before, and it never lasts more than a day. Two, tops." Gavin stared at his boyfriend and finally sighed.

"Okay fine. But if you're not better by tonight I'm taking you to a hospital," he threatened. Michael nodded.

"Can you turn the heat on or something, Gav? I'm freezing." Gavin went over to the thermostat and turned it up a degree or two, knowing that it would make the apartment a little uncomfortable but if it helped Michael, then it would be okay. He threw on some clothes and brushed his hair and teeth before grabbing his wallet and keys.

"I'm going to go to the store and get things for Tabby and you before I go to work," he told him, giving him a brief kiss on the forehead and scratching the kitten behind the ears before leaving, making the short walk to the 24-hour store just around the corner. He bought cat food, a litter box and bag of litter as well as medicine, juice, and food for Michael in case he got hungry or thirsty. They had water and other drinks at home, but he knew Michael liked to drink juice when he was ill. 

He returned to the apartment and closed the door quietly, his hands full with the items. He set the bags down on the couch and assembled the litterbox, pouring litter into it and setting up a bowl with cat food and a bowl with water in the kitchen. Tabby came from the bedroom to investigate what was happening. She sniffed curiously at the litterbox  before climbing inside and doing her business, making Gavin smile slightly. 

He put the groceries away and poured Michael a glass of water and a glass of juice, bringing him the medication. He shook Michael awake and handed him the tiny cup of NyQuil. He curled his lip at the green liquid. "Ugh, I hate this stuff."

"But it's going to make you feel better and bring your fever down, so drink it," Gavin said firmly. Michael raised a weak middle finger at him causing him to squawk, but downed the the liquid, gagging slightly. He chased it with a large gulp of juice and set it down on the table beside him. Gavin knelt by him and brushed his sweaty curls with his hands. "I'm going to go to work and tell Geoff you're ill; I'll be back at lunch to check on you. Tabby's going to be here while I'm gone, but she's got a litterbox, food, and water, so she shouldn't get into too much trouble."

"Shelter," Michael muttered, the effects of the fever and the NyQuil simultaneously making him drowsy. Gavin smiled and kissed his cheek, making sure he was comfortable before walking through the living room and passing Tabby, who was on the back of the couch. He picked her up and kissed her head.

"Take care of Michael while I'm gone, okay?" She meowed at him and he set her back down before heading out and locking the door behind him.

* * *

 

Gavin couldn't focus at work, as he was worried about Michael. Geoff was completely understanding, telling Gavin that if he needed him for anything to just let him know. Gavin simply nodded and tried to lose himself in his work to no avail.

"It'll be okay, Vav," Ray said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's just some kind of bug he caught, he'll get better before you know it. Just let him rest and let the medicine do its job."

"I know, but I've never seen him with this high of a fever before," he mumbled, making no indication that he was upset when Ryan killed his character in Minecraft. "At least Tabby is there to keep him company."

The whole room went quiet. "Who's Tabby?" asked Jack.

"A kitten I found while walking home last night; she's quite the little fluff ball," Gavin laughed, remembering how she liked to lick his nose.

"Let me guess: Michael flipped his lid and told you that you wouldn't be able to keep her?" Ryan inquired, laughing slightly. 

"Yeah; I didn't text him back for a couple of minutes and he freaked out on me when I got back, told me I had to take her to a shelter." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm kinda hoping that he'll warm up to her while he's sick and then let us keep her. I already bought her food and a litterbox and everything anyway."

"I'm sure he'll come around," Ray finally said, ending the conversation about Michael and bringing the focus back to work. 

Lunch time couldn't come soon enough. When Gavin got home he found that Michael was still asleep and Tabby was curled up on top of his pillow right above his head. He smiled at the sight and fixed Michael a small plate of food, waking him up so he could eat something and drink some water before going back to sleep. Michael just muttered his thanks before passing out again, curling deeper underneath the covers. The apartment was warm - too warm for a Spring afternoon in Texas - but if it helped Michael sleep then he wouldn't complain. 

After eating lunch himself and playing with Tabby, resulting in multiple scratches to his arms and legs, he returned to work in a slightly better mood than before.

"I think Michael's fever is slowly going down," he announced when he returned. The office cheered and Ray gave Gavin a knowing smile.

"See? The Puerto Rican knows all," he joked, pausing the arcade game he was playing. They didn't really have anything scheduled for the afternoon since Michael was absent, so the guys just worked on editing videos and any other small things they had to do. Gavin recorded a few vines with Burnie and Barbara, messed around with several of the people in the office, and played a few random games until it was finally time to go home for the day. 

He said goodbye to the others and walked home quickly, wanting to check on Michael and Tabby as soon as he could. He unlocked the door and stopped in his tracks when he saw that Michael was now laying on the couch, seemingly absentmindedly petting Tabby while flipping through TV channels. The temperature in the apartment was comfortable once more as well. 

"Feeling better, love?" he asked, feeling Michael's forehead. He was still slightly warm, but a lot better than he was that morning. He turned on the thermometer and stuck it in Michael's mouth again, and after a minute or so pulled it out.

101.4 

Gavin sighed with relief and sat down on the edge of the couch, pulling Michael's feet in his lap. Michael smiled weakly at him and then laughed quietly when Tabby licked his finger. "You know, maybe having a kitten wouldn't be  _too_ bad," he finally said. "She's actually really cute. When I woke up, before I moved to the couch, she was pretty much laying on top of my head and when I picked her up she just looked at me with those innocent eyes and meowed and started purring."

"I think someone's in love," Gavin teased, smiling at the two. Michael didn't snap jokingly back at Gavin, and he knew then that Michael was serious, that he actually liked her. "So it's settled, then? Tabby's ours?"

Michael nodded and then froze when a loud grumble erupted from his stomach. "I uh," he laughed, "I guess I'm hungry. Will you fix me something to eat, Gav?"

"Sure," Gavin chuckled, getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen. He heard a small thud and turned, seeing Tabby trot expectantly behind him. She sat down next to her food bowl, which was empty, and looked up at him. "Oh I get,  I'm the food delivery boy am I?" He reached down and patted her head. 

"Damn right; get to cooking! I let you keep the kitten, now you gotta do something for me!" Michael's voice sounded from the couch, and Gavin just laughed and looked down at Tabby who had meowed directly after Michael's statement. 

"Oi, don't tell me I have to be your slave too," he said lovingly, picking her up and holding her in the air.

Tabby simply closed her eyes and purred. 


End file.
